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Maybe what David should do is raised his prices to cover the extra time it takes to cull out the blocks with any stains. Take all the stained maple and cherry blocks and bag them up to be used for BBQ smoking wood and sell that for a big profit.

I was watching an episode of Good Eats and AB had a big cutting board that looked like every single block had a big mineral stain. When the whole board looks like that, it looks kind of cool.

If a customer receives a defective board, I will pay for the return shipping both ways. However, I need proof of the defective nature through photos. A defect is an obvious crack or split that has opened up during transit or happened through no fault of the customer within the first 90 days after receipt. If the board has warped due to prolonged contact with water resulting in splits, cracks and warps, that is not a manufacturing defect.

Occasionally the heat inside a UPS trailer or the pressure of boxes piled on top will result in a crack which I will honor as a defect. Warps caused by shipping pressure will go away once the board is allowed to relax in its new surroundings. If it doesn't relax and flatten, I will replace it. Mineral stains and other natural colorations of a board are not defects. Those were placed there by a natural reaction of the tree to an insect or tapping for maple sap. Those mineral stains are visible in 30 to 50% of the maple I buy and are almost impossible to work around. (I once had a customer who demanded I throw away all the wood that contained mineral stains.)

If a board is damaged in transit, UPS will normally pay for the return but if they deny the damage claim, I will have it returned then pay to resend another board. Otherwise, I will resend once the damage claim is accepted at my expense and wait for UPS to pay for the damages.

If the customer is simply not pleased with the appearance of the board, the return shipping is on the customer. If the customer wants to return a board for appearance questions, I will refund the cost of the board once the board has been received back to the shop. I do not refund the original shipping charges.

What happens to returned boards? The few that are returned are cut up and deposited in the dumpster. Why? Would you use a cutting board that another customer had? Once the shrink wrap is broken, anything can happen and I simply can't afford to take that chance.

As an aside, the photos on the web site are there for illustrative purposes only and the boards received will be different in appearance. The wood from tree to tree can and will vary in shades and coloration. The web site photos were taken of boards that were shipped to other customers and were not taken of special boards made just for photography.

David, to keep everybody happy and in consideration of the people advising to "manage expectations," you might want to include a prominent website notice for people re: natural discolorations, etc. Maybe charge an extra fee to have a "no mineral stains" guarantee if it means enough to someone to avoid them. Just a suggestion that may please everyone because a) those who don't care get a price break and b) those who do care pay a premium. The people saying "tough" should consider that some people buy boards not only to cook with, but to show off to friends and family or to give as gifts. It's kind of self-centered to think that your standards apply to everybody else.

Also, instead of cutting up and disposing the boards, it might be neat to keep some around to do experiments on. What experiments that may result I don't know.. maybe people here can come up with ideas. Porosity tests, comparison tests oiled vs unoiled, etc. I don't know. Seems a waste to just toss them, is all I'm saying.

I speak as someone who owns a genuine BoardSMITH board with a few blemishes who was nevertheless pleased with purchase.

Later this summer or early in the fall, my web site will undergo a major face lift after almost 8 years. I will be adding a returns policy page, as suggested here, alter the FAQ's somewhat, and offer a "Standard" and "Premium" version of the maple boards, also as suggested here. The "Standard" may include some mineral staining where the "Premium" version will not. Adding the returns policy and offering the two versions has been discussed with web site designers for several weeks prior to the discussion that appeared here.

Thanks to all for the suggestions and offers to buy the returned/stained boards. Maybe I will list some of those later here and on Facebook.

This "clear and concise policy statement" was posted after I get shafted. Sure he will exchange at the tune of $62.85 in shipping for a $90.00 board.

Copy of my email to Mr. Smith is below:

Let me explain my problem with the board I received. If your FAQ had talked about mineral stains or I saw a picture with mineral stains...I would have requested a board with no stains. As it is...I had no idea they existed. I wanted a board like in your flyer/website. I'm sorry for this misunderstanding however I'm not happy with this board. Can it be exchanged with no extra cost to me?

I personally do not understand your reasoning. IMO perfect boards can be obtained at Walmart, they are made of plastic or glass , take your pic.

Everyone that stated that some of the mineral stains would be a a problem to them they were on their boards, should get in to woodworking a little bit to get an idea what a natural material is and what to expect from it.

So I just received my awesome board in the mail, a Walnut 2x18x24 beast. Its absolutely gorgeous and of great quality. For some reason though I never took a picture with the whole board in the pic.

I do have one slight concern though. In the picture below,, on the cutting surface side, there is a slight hole in one of the pieces of wood. My concern is that water will get into that whole and cause it to split. I'm aware that you aren't supposed to soak it, but what I'm talking about is when washing the surface. I'm also worried about food getting in it and creating an area for bacteria growth. I have no issues with the small hole just wondering about possible future issues.

Let me say I absolutely love this board and expect to love it for ever. Are my concerns valid or is a hole like this going to have no affect on its longevity? I have not approached the Boardsmith yet about this as I wanted to get some opinions.